Penn pulls out of festival to help Haiti relief camp

The Oscar-winning actor Sean Penn pulls out of the Dubai International Film Festival to travel to Haiti and check on the safety of his staff at a relief camp he runs in the troubled Caribbean nation.

DUBAI // The Oscar-winning Hollywood actor and activist Sean Penn pulled out of the Dubai International Film Festival yesterday to travel to Haiti and check on the safety of his staff at a relief camp he runs in the troubled Caribbean nation.

The actor, who was to be honoured with a lifetime achievement award at the festival, said the political unrest in Haiti forced him to rearrange his plans.

"I am honoured to receive the Dubai International Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award and had every intention of being there to accept it in person," said Penn.

"Regrettably, the situation in Haiti has worsened and it was of utmost importance that I be there to secure the safety of my staff and the J/P Haitian Relief Organisation camp."

Protests over a disputed presidential election brought the Haitian capital, Port-Au-Prince, to a standstill last week. An appeals process, which ends tomorrow, has been reopened in an attempt to calm the tempers of feuding candidates.

Thousands of people were not able to vote in the November 28 election, which drew criticism after incidents of violence, voter intimidation and ballot-box stuffing were confirmed by UN observers.

Within hours of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that levelled much of the country on January 12 this year, Penn flew to Haiti and set up J/P Haitian Relief Organisation. The star’s camp now manages the welfare of about 40,000 earthquake survivors and provides food and medical aid to the needy.

Film buffs eager to attend “A Conversation with Sean Penn”, an event scheduled for last night at the Madinat Jumeirah, said they were disappointed by his decision to cancel his Dubai trip.

“He will be sadly missed,” said Jerry Sherard, the creative director of Dubai-based production house Dreamcatcher Films. “He is one of those actors willing to go to places to build bridges between countries. He genuinely cares about people.”

In his statement, Penn said he looked forward to attending Diff in the future. Fans who bought tickets to the public audience can either exchange their tickets for other Diff screenings or get a refund.

Diff managing director Shivani Pandya said that while they were disappointed, they understood how important it was for Penn to reach Haiti.

“We were expecting him, but we understand that he had to go to Haiti because he was very concerned about his staff,” Ms Pandya said. “We understand how dedicated he is to the cause and know he spends a lot of time there. We wish him all success in his efforts.”